1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to land vehicles of the type known as carts. More particularly, this invention relates to a collapsible, portable utility cart.
2. Description of Prior Art
Individuals, such as game hunters, often must transport heavy and awkward objects through uneven terrain and/or over considerable distances. For example, a hunter may need to transport large game, such as a deer weighing from one hundred and fifty to over three hundred pounds, that has been taken during the hunt from the spot where it was taken, such as deep in the woods or fields of the area being hunter, to the hunter's car are truck which is located on the perimeter of the hunted area. This transport task can often be a very physically demanding or even impossible without the aid of some sort of land vehicle or cart.
Additionally, many types of game hunting often require that the hunter wait quietly for extended periods of time in one spot while waiting for the game to cross the hunter's field of view. During these extended waiting periods, many hunters would rather sit than stand. Unfortunately, there is often nothing nearby a desired waiting spot on which for the hunter to sit other than the ground.
Various types of carts have been in use for many years. Typically, conventional carts include a pair of wheels rotatably attached to a frame structure having a plurality of side walls along with a handle for pulling the cart. Unfortunately, these carts usually are not designed for utilization within uneven terrain, such as in a field or the woods where a hunter might require the use of a cart to transport game. Also, because these carts have only a pair of wheels, they usually do not have any sort of surface that can be positioned horizontally so that it temporarily might be used as a seat. Examples of such carts include U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,928 to Jury, 5,769,431 to Cordova and 5,853,189 to Swartzlander.
More recently, various types of hunting carts have been introduced to serve the needs of hunters who must traverse uneven and difficult terrain. In general, these carts still tend to have a single pair of wheels rotatably attached to a frame structure having a plurality of side walls along with a handle for pulling the cart. To better navigate uneven terrain, some have introduced V-shaped frames with converging wheels, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,864 to Smith; while others have proposed using sled-wheel combinations, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,582 to Kauffman and Leatherman.
Additionally, hunting carts have been introduced that are easily disassembled so that their parts might be rearranged to make them easily transportable, for example, in a backpack or on a hunter's back. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,720 to Stringer and 6,142,491, 6,164,671 and 6,270,092 to Darling.
Other inventions in this area have concentrated on introducing multi-purpose, cart-like devices that can be used as either hunting carts or parts of a tree stand. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,556 to Mullin, 5,433,291 to Shoestock, 5,492,196 to Michno and 6,186,271 to Borries and Scarborough.
Thus, despite prior art for a relatively wide assortment of utility carts, there still exists a continuing need for the development of new and improved carts that can more fully satisfy the needs of hunters and other outdoorsmen/women.
3. Objects and Advantages
There has been summarized above, rather broadly, the prior art that is related to the present invention in order that the context of the present invention may be better understood and appreciated. In this regard, it is instructive to also consider the objects and advantages of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved utility cart that is easier for one to use and transport over uneven or other difficult terrain.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved hunting cart that can be configured so that it can be used as a chair by a hunter.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved utility cart that is collapsible so as to make it easier to carry and transport.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying summary, drawings and the detailed description that follows.